Great Bay-Piscataqua Waterkeeper

Voters in Exeter, New Hampshire, have a choice to make on March 10. Article 8 of the town warrant proposes to roll back existing wetland buffer protections. If approved, the new ordinance would allow for development in areas where it has not been permitted previously. Wetlands are essential to clean water. They help filter pollutants…

Last year, in our ongoing work to engage the public in our efforts to protect the Great Bay estuary, we established a network of local residents who care about water – Clean Water Advocates for Great Bay. Since that time, members of the Clean Water Advocates group have helped ensure the success of an important…

What do you get when you have an antiquated sewage treatment plant near clams, mussels, and oysters? The answer: shellfish that may not be safe to eat. Responding to the results of a joint dye study with the Food and Drug Administration, the NH Department of Environmental Services (NHDES) has immediately closed and/or restricted the…

It’s an alarming but true fact that, of the 2,900 acres of eelgrass in the Great Bay and Piscataqua River in 1996, more than 1,200 acres have disappeared. Without eelgrass, the bottom of the estuary and river will be a featureless mudflat – no longer the home to juvenile crabs, lobsters, and all manner of…

With the comfortable boating season at an end, the Great Bay–Piscataqua Waterkeeper vessel was removed from the water at the end of the October. It was a good couple of months on Great Bay and the Piscataqua River, with the vessel providing an excellent platform to introduce municipal and state officials, funders, and the press…

Ever since 1859 when the first commercial oil well was drilled in Titusville, Pennsylvania, oil spills have become an unfortunate fact of life. In the spring of 1989 the Exxon Valdez ran aground and spewed 11 million gallons into Prince William Sound. I have held a grudge ever since, and, without exception, never purchase fuel…

The Great Bay–Piscataqua Waterkeeper vessel will be launched in the next week or so amidst absolutely no fanfare. The reason? We first need to take it out for a shakedown cruise and equipment tests. Many folks have spent considerable time and effort raising funds to purchase the 20-foot, center-console Key West skiff from Port Harbor…

Indeed, maybe you shouldn’t fertilize at all. I do not believe that my Dad ever put anything on our lawn. The neighbors never complained that we weren’t keeping up with the Joneses and we kids were thrilled not to have to mow it as often. If you ever pushed a reel mower, you know why.…

For several years, CLF has been working to eliminate illegal, toxic stormwater pollution from Grimmel Industries’ massive scrap-metal operation located on the banks of the Piscataqua River in Portsmouth. Grimmel’s operation has taken place at the Market Street Terminal, owned by the State of New Hampshire but administered by Pease Development Authority (PDA). In a…

Our Great Bay-Piscataqua Waterkeeper program has made terrific progress in protecting our amazing Great Bay estuary, and we’re making real progress toward our immediate goal of acquiring and launching a Waterkeeper vessel! If you haven’t already heard, we’re in the midst of a campaign to raise $25,000 by June 1, to enable us to purchase,…